


Blackout Days

by cebolla



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: AU, M/M, possible one shot?, straight!raleigh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-27
Updated: 2014-06-27
Packaged: 2018-02-06 09:26:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1852957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cebolla/pseuds/cebolla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chuck’s nose was broken. </p><p>Raleigh knew it because he’d felt the assured snap of it under his fingers, saw the surprise, anger, and then pain scrawl over Chuck’s face as a hand flew to cup the blood flowing freely from it, his eyebrows furrowed in pain. He leaned heavily against the wall, and Raleigh was a good enough man to perhaps feel a little bad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blackout Days

**Author's Note:**

> not edited, excuse any mistakes.
> 
> edit: I'VE EDITED IT NOW. therefore, mistakes are all my own. my b.

Chuck’s nose was broken. 

Raleigh knew it because he’d felt the assured snap of it under his fingers, saw the surprise, anger, and then pain scrawl over Chuck’s face as a hand flew to cup the blood flowing freely from it, his eyebrows furrowed in pain. He leaned heavily against the wall, and Raleigh was a good enough man to perhaps feel a little bad.

Though not enough to say sorry— the little fucker had started the fight with him of his own volition, just like every other brawl they found themselves in.

“I’d get that looked at if I were you.”

“Shut the fuck up, Raleigh.” 

Raleigh gave him an open-handed shrug, but Chuck didn’t say anything, just turned to stalk off. Raleigh noticed his slight limp, an oversight from before. He hadn’t meant to maim the kid, but he found his voice caught in his throat before he could make any more comment.

He felt his emotions sitting uncomfortably under his ribcage. The anger that usually stayed and stung him for a while lifted as quickly and easily the moment Chuck let off on his buttons. He had no heat behind his words or heart behind his actions, simply pushing back with the same force given.

To be honest, he felt a little bad for Chuck. Not that he would ever admit it, because sentimentality was not a game Hansen played well in, and Raleigh had the bruises and scars to prove it.

Things had been hard for him since he’d re-emerged from the waters. In fact, if Raleigh were being honest, things had been brutal. Not only had he surfaced badly wounded, their plan had ultimately failed, and Herc…Herc’s pod had never re-emerged.

No one had been able to get much from Chuck, and to some degree, Raleigh could understand. He was already troubled before his whole life had gone to shit. Although half of the trouble was being an ungrateful asshole. All the same.

So maybe he felt some affection for the kid, he still on the other hand struggled with liking him. In a way that maybe only family or a mentor could. He was a wild and unpredictable child, even more so without his father’s guiding hand.

He seemed lost.

And maybe a few hours later, after Raleigh had gotten lunch with Mako and tired himself on his punching bag, he found his feet drifting in the direction of Chuck’s door.

————————————————————

Chuck looked up at the sound of knuckles rapping three times on his heavy metal door. Dragging himself from his seat and limping to the door proved an irritable hassle that only pressed flush against his stinging pride even more when he saw who's face was staring back at him on the otherside.

He bristled, but for some reason, his hand moved to the metal knob, pulling the door open. In some way, he knew Raleigh wouldn’t let him alone until he acknowledged him. His persistence was one of his most irritating factors.

“What the fuck do you want Raleigh?”

Raleigh seemed to pause before saying anything— most likely taking in Chuck’s blackened right eye and cut lip, the light bandage he had across his nose.

“I figured I should check up on you. I probably shouldn’t have hit you so hard,” Raleigh said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Is that an apology?”

“Kinda.” Chuck stood for a moment, looking at Raleigh and his raised eyebrows. He knew what he’d meant by ‘kind of’— Chuck had been the one pushing for a fight, as per usual. He may have had a few ulterior motives with his sharp words, but he’d never been good at getting someone’s attention in any other way.

But he set his jaw anyway— Raleigh wouldn’t be getting any sort of apology, so he cut his eye contact and shifted his eyes to the space just beyond his face. He felt a bit of the fight leave his shoulders though, maybe just a little guilt.

“Whatever.” Chuck made to push past Raleigh, but he felt a hand on his arm.

“Come on, seriously?”

Chuck jolted lightly, his eyes quickly locking with Raleigh’s. His first reaction was surprised, but the next was anger. 

“Wait, wait, alright? I didn’t come here to start a fight. I just wanted to know if you were okay. I saw that you were limping earlier.”

Chuck stood nervously, his anger leaving him in a sudden gust, replaced with an anxious energy that caused his hand to ball into a fist. He pulled his arm from Raleigh’s grasp, but he did so without any anger. He licked his lips, mouth suddenly dry, before talking.

“Yeah. It was my bad…,” Chuck’s eyes found an interesting pipe off the the left side of the corridor, “thanks.” 

Raleigh seemed to search his face. Chuck wasn’t sure what he was looking to find there, but he seemed satisfied after a moment or two and he nodded.

“Alright, no problem.”

Chuck turned off to the side and walked away quickly before he could say anything else. His anger was grounding, but what he felt talking to Raleigh just then hadn’t been it. He didn’t like where his mind was going with it.

————————————————

Raleigh didn’t follow after Chuck or even say anything more, just took his leaving as cue to do the same, turning and walking off in the opposite direction. 

And maybe he thought about Chuck’s expression a little bit. He didn’t often see his face devoid of that annoying cockiness or anger, and maybe he’d thought seeing him back peddle a little was a nice change of pace.

So at least he knew Chuck had it in him to be earnest.

The next day he made his way down to mess, tray of food in hand and dropped it rather forcefully in front of Chuck, sitting heavily across from him at the table. It earned him his signature glare— eyes moving to menace Raleigh’s face before he went back to eating.

Mako made her way over a few moments later, sitting off to the side of Raleigh.

“You two were in a fight again, weren’t you?”

Chuck didn’t look up or even acknowledge her presence, but Raleigh seemed comfortable enough about the situation.

“You could say we’re working through our differences.”

“Ah, and Chuck’s black eye was just a poor victim?”

Raleigh watched Chuck huff into his tray of food from corner of his eyes, but just smiled.

“If anything my feelings are.”

They were teasing Chuck, like always. It wasn’t something new or interesting, but Raleigh for some reason felt the need to push Chuck’s buttons. Maybe he was sick of always responding in force. Maybe he was curious to see Chuck’s reaction after yesterdays incident.

He didn’t seem to angry, though his grumbling and annoyed act was as good as ever.

————————————————

Chuck finally got up, dragging his tray off the table with one hand as he stalked off. He did so without a mention or warning, an annoyance like an object lodged in the pit of his stomach. He was more annoyed that it wasn’t even aimed at Raleigh himself.

To say it was aimed at Mako either would be wrong as well, though, because really it wasn’t. 

Well, maybe in some ways it was. 

They conversed so easily, understood each other without words. They were family. Raleigh and Mako loved each other, it was that simple. And Chuck didn’t have anyone, not until his partner would be replaced…and Herc couldn’t be replaced.

And if even that wasn’t truly the source of his annoyance, because Chuck refused to use the word ‘jealous’, he would never have admitted to it. Not in a million years.

So instead, he stalked angrily down an empty hall, making for the hangar which he knew would be mostly empty of personnel.

That was, until he heard the pounding footsteps of boots on grated metal following closely behind. He turned in time to feel a hand grasp his jacket securely, pushing him up against the wall. His thick jacket cushioned the blow and he let out a puff of air against Raleigh’s suddenly close cheek.

“Alright. What is your issue? You’re always throwing these little fits, so why don’t you just spit it out?”

The slight daze Chuck had been in, Raleigh’s warm breath over his cheek, came to an abrupt end, and the jealousy in his gust twisted itself into anger, his eyebrows furrowing to match.

“How about you get your hands off me?” Chuck’s tone was heavy, spit through clenched teeth. A thought flitted through his mind that if he leaned just two more inches forward, his lips would reach Raleigh’s, his brain struggling to keep his eyes focused up towards Raleighs.

“I thought we were finally getting somewhere. I thought maybe you could change. You know, I feel bad for you—“

Chuck cut Raleigh off, suddenly grabbing his shirt with force, slamming him back against the metal grating behind, an arm raised back, but the impact never landed. Raleigh looked up at him with confusion. Chuck panicked and his thoughts left him and all he could see were Raleigh’s lips and he leaned in suddenly god what was he doing? 

His lips pushed forcefully over Raleigh’s, frozen in surprise. It was too forceful, teeth colliding jarringly, his lips pulling at the cut from the day before. Raleigh’s mouth opened invitingly, but Chuck knew it was only from surprise. It didn’t matter, this would be his only chance, and he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding along the backs of Raleigh’s teeth expertly.

This seemed to jarr Raleigh from his surprise and haze, and he pushed Chuck off quickly, but not violently.

“What—?”

Chuck’s face was a mixture of anger, confusion and rejection, but for some reason all Raleigh could think to say was, 

“I’m straight.”

Chuck’s annoyance seemed to build, knocking away at the confusion and rejection from before. He sniffed angrily, taking in a shaky, full breath before talking.

“Don’t come near me again.”

Before he could move, Raleigh was talking again.

“Wait no, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what the fuck did you mean Raleigh?” 

Chuck’s question could have been rhetorical— he almost hoped it would be, that Raleigh wouldn’t fill the other side with an answer so he could leave this embarrassing moment in the past to be forgotten.

“I’m just saying I’ve never been with a guy before.”

And Chuck’s brows furrowed in confusion, but Raleigh took his pause as an okay to carry on talking.

“You just…took me by surprise, okay? I like you. I mean, you’re annoying as hell sometimes, but I like you. You just have to take it a little slower, give me some warning or something.”

Chuck’s breath caught in his throat a little, his pulse soaring.

“So can I kiss you again or what?” He’d always been forceful, even when he was being gentle, and maybe he was scared that he would frighten Raleigh off, but he just laughed and walked forward suddenly, placing a hand along his side and leaning in. 

—————————————

Their lips met, softer this time as Raleigh led.

It was strange to kiss someone with a stubble, a little scratchy as their hair rubbed each other, but it just caused Raleigh to smile into it. His hand on Chuck’s waist met all muscle, and it was an unfamiliar feeling, but not unwelcome. He didn't struggle to dominate the kiss, knowing Chuck's type.

Chuck’s hands were needy. One placed grippingly tight on his hip, the other on his upper back, fingers kneading at the skin below his shirt, and Chuck seemed to suddenly grow frustrated at the shallowness of the contact of their lips because he pushed his tongue along the seam of Raleigh’s lips, pushing until he gave in and let him explore the inside of his mouth.

Raleigh let him, tangling their tongues lightly. He pushed him back against the wall, a hand placed against it to steady himself. Chuck pushed for more, licking along the insides of Raleigh's mouth, biting roughly at his lips before smoothing it over with a light touch from his tongue. Raleigh felt him push forwards with his body, pulling him closer with his roaming hands. He felt the press of Chuck against his hip and took it as a sign to slow Chuck's roll.

He pulled back slowly, nipping at Chuck’s lip before looking back up into his eyes. He looked ready to dive back in before Raleigh took a step back and Chuck’s brow furrowed with frustration. Raleigh could practically hear him growling, and although he liked the look of Chuck’s red-kissed lips, took in the sight of the small cut he’d placed there just the other day, he wasn’t ready to dive into things unprepared.

“Slow.”

Chuck took a breath, and his irritation seemed to lessen to Raleigh’s relief. He was a quick burner who took whatever he could get as quickly as he could get it— he wasn’t used to slow and steady. Raleigh hummed, smiling. Even so, he was giving Raleigh what he wanted.

“Right. Sorry.”

And it was the first time Raleigh had ever heard him apologize.


End file.
